Culture is riven with social class, and a new feature length documentary being shown at Salford Arts Theatre next Saturday, and at Moston Small Theatre on Friday, lays it all out through the words of famous and non-famous actors, writers, directors, producers and wannabe-but-can't-be actors.

The Acting Class is unashamedly talking heads, proudly working class and totally unmissable, as Christopher Eccleston, Maxine Peake and friends in the north and south get more and more angry about 'Downturd Abbey' et al...

The Acting Class, made by Deirdre O'Neill and Mike Wayne, is a 77 minute documentary that begins by laying out the facts about our film and tv 'icons', with screaming headlines about the number of famous actors that were privately educated.

Culture in Britain is dominated by elitism and the 'plummy accents' of white, middle and upper class males in a who-you-know world where barriers are shoved up at every opportunity; from actually being able to afford the education to get trained, to being able to find jobs in the industry.

As Maxine Peake says in the film, Britain's class system is still ruling... "They've never wanted the working class to have any power; they don't want us educated, they definitely don't want us to have any artistic inspiration" she fumes "It's not just about getting into drama school; if any young working class person now wants to pursue any career that involves any form of further education they're screwed."

The documentary is unashamedly full of people just talking and seething to the camera about how this is played out in real life – from aspiring actress Amy Stout, who had to turn down offers from the famous Italia Conti Academy as she couldn't afford the fees; to Bolton's Tom Stocks, of Actor Awareness, who has to do a call centre job to make ends meet.

Tom goes along to £35,000 a year Eton to show the coat-tailed, privileged kids who have a 400 seat theatre, in-house directors, studios and thirty productions a year to get their acting teeth into. Plus all the connections that Eton brings.

This is contrasted with Salford's Libby Hall who says her school doesn't even have a drama teacher, just the English teacher doing it on the side. She attends acting classes at Salford Arts Theatre, which is trying to give a leg up to young people in the city. But the odds, as this film brilliantly shows, are totally stacked against them.

A whole procession of actors, writers, directors, producers and even the top bloke from the Arts Council underline the point; which is basically, if you're black, or northern, or working class, you're fucked. And if you try to tell the stories of black, or northern, or working class people, you're equally fucked.

"If you are a producer and say 'I want to do a six part series about Salford', you're not going to get it" says Chris Eccleston "But if you're going to do Poldark or Downturd Abbey – you're in!"

Maxine Peake talks about the 'rocky road to hell' of these upper class costume dramas, as she, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Chris Eccleston and everyone else interviewed, not only take the piss out of what's served up on our screens but also get more and more angry as the documentary rolls on... "That's my career over" Maxine laughs...

There was a window a few decades ago where things were changing but what chance a Boys From The Blackstuff or an Our Friends In The North getting anywhere near the BBC, ITV or Channel 4 these days? None, everyone concludes.

It's a huge political issue for those who are trying to portray the reality of working class life in 2017.

The Acting Class, made by the same Inside Film team who produced The Condition of the Working Class a few years ago, is totally, totally relevant to everyone – relevant to those who want to work in culture, and those forced to consume the Oxbridge led shit thrown at our screens.

The ideological war on the working class isn't just being fought in the workplace, in the benefit offices and in the billionaire controlled media, it's also happening on a tv, cinema, stage and art house near you...

The Acting Class is being screened on Saturday 14th October 7pm, at Salford Arts Theatre, followed by a Q&A with directors Deirdre O'Neill and Mike Wayne, plus Andrew Ellis from This is England.

I was lucky to see this film on Sunday, 8th October 2017 on a dull afternoon in Dalston, East London. It's probably one of the most important British films to come out this year and left a lasting impression on those who saw it.
It exposes my long belief that class shouldn't play its part in deciding what we can and can't watch on television, film or theatre, but all too well that casting agents and higher educators ignores the real talent out there in abundance.
I can well believe too when Christopher Eccleston said that BBC executives were unnerved by "Our Friends In The North". Just the mention of the word "north" must have had them piss their pants.
Just when was the last good drama that featured an all disabled cast (there was one on BBC2 a few years back I seem to recall), an all BME or LGBT one you saw? Television has become too clichéd ridden with the well to dos living their stale and elitist lives in the last thirty years that I've switched off and started listening to the radio instead. Trouble is it sells by the bucket load abroad, especially to Trumpist America. How I loathe Jane Austin and prefer George Elliott.
Too often reality shows prey on the working class as being dole scroungers, tax avoiders and everything that is wrong with this country. Channel 5 produces these sort of programmes almost on a mind numbing daily occurrence.
Too many further education colleges are giving young people false hopes and aspirations that only the top 7% will find work and keep working in the performing arts. Because "mummy" and "daddy" know the key players and influence.
Do I sound angry? I've barely started to scratch the surface.